Video: Hillary starts 2016 campaign with rally

Though she officially entered the race as a formal candidate back in April, Hillary Clinton kicked off her campaign over the weekend with an event in New York where she outlined some of her platform themes. This was the first major campaign rally she’s held since entering the race on April 12.

Hillary Clinton officially kicked off her 2016 campaign in New York City with a call to build “real and lasting prosperity” that “should be built by all and shared by all.”

The former secretary of state paid homage to the legacies of Democratic presidents past and present, with a particular emphasis on Franklin Roosevelt’s “enduring vision” (the “four freedoms”), which she believes have fallen by wayside in favor of “trickle down” economics. “We have new challenges in our economy and our democracy, we’re still working our way back from a crisis because time-tested values were replaced by false promises,” Clinton said.

“We’re standing again but we all know we’re still not running the way America should,” Clinton said while pointing out how while Americans are sacrificing like never before, the wealthiest Americans are getting a greater share of the profits and benefits. To those who are wondering “when will I get ahead?,” Clinton said, “I say now.”

“You brought our country back, now it’s time, your time, to secure the gains ahead,” she stated. “America can’t succeed unless you succeed – that’s why I’m running for the president of the United States.”

Saturday’s rally marks the formal kick-off to Clinton’s presidential campaign, culminating an eight-week soft-launch where Clinton held intimate sessions with voters in battleground states across the country.

Nate Ashworth :Nate Ashworth is the Founder and Senior Editor of Election Central. He's been blogging elections and politics for almost a decade. He started covering the 2008 Presidential Election which turned into a full-time political blog in 2012 and 2016.